Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

In the very near future, I will be introducing legislation which would establish a special bipartisan legislative commission to recommend safety, oversight and interagency coordination improvements for the transport of oil, natural gas and other hazardous liquids through pipelines in this Commonwealth.

Natural gas and oil extraction has increased dramatically over the last decade in the Commonwealth resulting in the construction of new pipeline infrastructure to transport hazardous liquids, gases and other byproducts in large quantities through the most sensitive areas of Pennsylvania. As such, many communities in the Commonwealth have experienced the negative aspects associated with pipeline construction. Our communities now face increased safety risks due to these high pressure pipelines being situated in close proximity to homes, schools and population centers. The construction of pipelines has also resulted in hundreds of environmental and safety violations along with the contamination of private water wells and public waterways.

These incidents and safety concerns have demonstrated a clear need for exploring measures which will improve management, increase safety and provide for more comprehensive oversight of pipeline construction and operations.